It was getting dark. Paul looked out of the window and sighed（叹气）. Dad said he would come home by 5:30, but it was almost 7:00. Even if Dad came back, it wouldn't be much fun playing ___31___ in the dark. Pual walked into his room and threw his baseball into the corner. He tried to do some homework, but couldn't.
The phone rang at about 8:00. It was Dad:"Pual, I'm ___32___ ,but I couldn't play baseball with you tonight. I have to finish my work at the office. Maybe we can play this weekend. Oh no. How about next weekend?... "
Paul couldn't understand why Dad was so ___33___ . He threw himself into the sofa and soon fell asleep. His book was still opened to the first page.
The next day at school. Paul didn't hand in his homework and ___34___ a test. Mrs Green, his teacher, asked him to stay after school. "Paul, you didn't do your homework. You didn't pass the exam and only got a D. This isn't like you. What's wrong?"
Paul just sat there ___35___ ."Paul, if you don't want to talk, I will. I know that something's worrying you, but you have to get it out. You need to tell someone."
As Paul walked home, he thought of what Mrs Green said. Maybe he didn't do his homework because he wanted to get his dad's ___36___ . He knew Mrs Green was right. He decided to take her advice.
When Paul got home, he ___37___ his dad. But there was no answers. Then it went to voicemail（语音邮箱）. Paul began talking:"Dad, I can't play with you next weekend. I've got lots of problems with my homework. Also, I really don't want to spend another day looking out of the window and waiting. Whenever you ___38___ out plans. Dad, it hurts me. It's not too late to rebuild our relationship, but we have to start small. May be you can help me with my ___39___ something. Dad, I love you."
As Paul ended the call, he felt much relaxed. He didn't know whether his dad would be different, but it didn't matter. He himself ___40___ . He expressed his feelings to the right person. He had a clear head as he doing his homework that evening.
31. A. baseball B. cards C. chess D. toys
32. A. lucky B. sorry C. surprised D. pleased
33. A. famous B. helpful C. lazy D. busy
34. A. made B. missed C. failed D. chose
35. A. cheerfully B. comfortably C. hopefully D. quietly
36. A. attention B. message C. praise D. trust
37. A. saw B. thanked C. called D. greeted
38. A. prepare B. break C. follow D. question
39. A. choice B. homework C. speech D. decision
40. A. regretted B. complained C. insisted D. changed